Yahoo!’s Year in Review Reveals the Daily Search Habits of 2012

2012 Proves to Be a Year of Standout News and Pop Culture Obsessions

December 03, 2012 12:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO)revealed the annual list of top
searches. Yahoo!’s Year in Review 2012 reflects the daily search habits
of users and offers a glimpse into the social trends, compelling
newsmakers, top stories, and viral fads of 2012 based on what millions
of people searched for. It is clear when looking at the top search
habits that partisan politics, the Olympic Games, a seesaw recovery, and
a galloping Korean pop singer captured the world’s attention.

“Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here’s my number, so call
me maybe?”

Celebrities and technological gadgets draw plenty of online curiosity,
but the 2012 elections dominated online searches this year. The
elections saturated headline news and ads, but people still checked in
online to see what was developing in the presidential elections, as well
as their own state and local races. Anticipation for the iPhone 5, in a
post-Steve Jobs era, helped Apple maintain a presence in the Yahoo! Top
10. Kim Kardashian, a staple in the Top 10 since 2009, reached the
height of her online popularity as most searched person on Yahoo!. Model
Kate Upton ricocheted into the national consciousness by landing the
cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. And the obsession with
the royals continued in 2012 as Kate Middleton became the third-most
searched person on Yahoo!, thanks in part to her grandmother-in-law's
Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics.

Top Searches Overall on Yahoo! in 2012:

1

[election]

2

[iphone 5]

3

[kim kardashian]

4

[kate upton]

5

[kate middleton]

6

[whitney houston]

7

[olympics]

8

[political polls]

9

[lindsay lohan]

10

[jennifer lopez]

It’s no surprise the elections preoccupied the online audience, but
people obviously had time beyond their civic duties to indulge their
guilty pleasures and viral compulsions. The Obsessions list has
returned: iPhone 5 snagged the No. 1 slot in a list mostly dominated by
pop culture trends like “The Hunger Games,” reality TV breakout Honey
Boo Boo, British boy band One Direction, Carly Rae Jepsen’s much-memed
song “Call Me Maybe,” and the galloping global hit “Gangnam Style” by
Korean pop singer Psy.

Top-Searched Obsessions on Yahoo! in 2012:

1

[iphone 5]

2

[political polls]

3

[megamillions]

4

[the hunger games]

5

[honey boo boo]

6

[fifty shades of grey]

7

[one direction]

8

[call me maybe]

9

[gangnam style]

10

[titanic]

The election season provided a perfect opportunity to show how quickly
things can go viral. Binders full of women, eastwooding, and Big Bird
memes all became viral sensations in 2012. And who can forget the
stingray photobomb, and of course McKayla Maroney not being impressed.

Top-Searched Memes on Yahoo! in 2012:

1

[kony 2012]

2

[binders full of women]

3

[hurricane sandy fake storm photos]

4

[ridiculously photogenic guy]

5

[big bird]

6

[dogshaming]

7

[stingray photobomb]

8

[eastwooding]

9

[etch a sketch]

10

[mckayla maroney is not impressed]

Users were all about gadgets in 2012. From the iPhone 5 to the iPad mini
and the Samsung Galaxy, folks were jonesing for the latest tech trends.

Top-Searched Gadgets on Yahoo! in 2012:

1

[iphone 5]

2

[ipad 3]

3

[ipad mini]

4

[samsung galaxy sIII]

5

[kindle fire]

6

[iphone 4]

7

[nook]

8

[ipod touch]

9

[samsung galaxy tab]

10

[samsung galaxy note]

The top two athletes searched overall on Yahoo! in 2012 were Tiger Woods
and Maria Sharapova. But all eyes turned to London this summer for the
Games of the XXX Olympiad. The Olympics were a top search overall on
Yahoo!, and while the “Fab Five” garnered a lot of searches, it was
Maria Sharapova, Lolo Jones, Serena Williams, and Hope Solo that topped
the Olympian list on Yahoo!.

Top-Searched Olympians on Yahoo! in 2012:

1

[maria sharapova]

2

[lolo jones]

3

[serena williams]

4

[hope solo]

5

[mckayla maroney]

6

[caroline wozniacki]

7

[leryn franco]

8

[michael phelps]

9

[misty may-treanor]

10

[aly raisman]

It looks like the Dallas Cowboys really are “America’s team,” as they
top the list of all sports teams on Yahoo! in 2012. Even the Dallas
Cowboys cheerleaders and game schedule were tops. However, it looks like
MLB is giving the NFL a run for its money when it comes to being
“America’s sport,” with five baseball teams in the Top 10 sports team
searches.

Top-Searched Sports Teams on Yahoo! in 2012:

1

[dallas cowboys]

2

[new york yankees]

3

[los angeles lakers]

4

[san francisco giants]

5

[detroit tigers]

6

[pittsburgh steelers]

7

[green bay packers]

8

[st louis cardinals]

9

[san francisco 49ers]

10

[oakland a's]

“Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here’s my number, so call
me maybe?” — It is no surprise that music newcomer Carly Rae Jepsen’s
song “Call Me Maybe” became the top-searched song of 2012. The song had
everyone from the Harvard baseball team to the USA Olympic swim team and
even “Sesame Street” getting into the tune. “Gangnam Style” also had
viral impact in 2012 and was the second-most searched song on Yahoo!.

Top-Searched Songs/Music Lyrics on Yahoo! in 2012:

1

[call me maybe] (carly rae jepsen)

2

[gangnam style] (psy)

3

[someone like you] (adele)

4

[somebody that i used to know] (gotye)

5

[sexy and i know it] (lmfao)

6

[we are young] (fun.)

7

[rolling in the deep] (adele)

8

[you belong with me] (taylor swift)

9

[what makes you beautiful] (one direction)

10

[gummy bear song] (gummibär)

The top-searched TV shows overall on Yahoo! in 2012 reflect our
continued obsession with competition reality shows. Topping the list:
“American Idol” followed by “Dancing With the Stars” and “The Young &
the Restless.” The top-searched TV dramas were “The Walking Dead” and
“Game of Thrones.” But mostly in 2012, people wanted to laugh, and the
shows below represent the top-searched comedies on TV in 2012.

Top-Searched TV Comedies on Yahoo! in 2012:

1

[the big bang theory]

2

[how i met your mother]

3

[glee]

4

[south park]

5

[family guy]

6

[modern family]

7

[adult swim]

8

[two and a half men]

9

[the simpsons]

10

[drop dead diva]

When you have a question, you want an answer, and users immediately turn
to Yahoo! to get the answers to their most pressing questions. The top
“who is” question on Yahoo! in 2012 was [who is the girl with the dragon
tattoo] and the top “where is question” was [where is the superbowl this
year]. The top “what is” and how-to questions are below:

Top ‘What Is’ Searches on Yahoo! in 2012:

1

[what is SOPA]

2

[what is love]

3

[what is the hunger games about]

4

[what is KONY]

5

[what is a zip line]

6

[what is obamacare]

7

[what is scientology]

8

[what is a blue moon]

9

[what is tapenade]

10

[what is the electoral college]

Top How-To Searches on Yahoo! in 2012:

1

[how to make a diaper cake]

2

[how to buy facebook stock]

3

[how to build a deck]

4

[how to boil an egg]

5

[how to cook corn on the cob]

6

[how to cook swiss chard]

7

[how to make salsa]

8

[how to get rid of bags under the eyes]

9

[how to make cake pops]

10

[how to cook pumpkin seeds]

Every day on Yahoo! at 5 p.m., as folks across the country prepare for
dinner, [chicken recipes] spike on Yahoo!. This staple protein was the
top search in the Recipes category. Putting tradition aside, there were
also a lot of searches for weird and quirky foods in 2012.

Top-Searched Recipes on Yahoo! in 2012:

1

[chicken recipes]

2

[crockpot recipes]

3

[halloween recipes]

4

[vegetarian recipes]

5

[salmon recipes]

6

[beef stew recipes]

7

[zucchini recipes]

8

[eggplant recipes]

9

[cake recipes]

10

[shrimp recipes]

Most Appetizing Yet Stomach-Turning Searches on Yahoo! in 2012:

1

[candy corn oreos]

2

[pork doughnuts]

3

[bacon ice cream]

4

[flamin’ hot cheetos]

5

[deep-fried strawberries]

6

[beer milkshake]

7

[deep kool-aid]

8

[guinness cupcakes]

9

[maple bacon beer]

10

[grape jelly meatballs]

Politicians were better behaved this year than last, when their antics
allowed for their own Top 10 list. Yet there was no end to scandalous
behavior in 2012, which brought the downfall of a cycling icon, a
four-star general, and even the president's (Secret Service) men.

Top-Searched Scandals on Yahoo! in 2012:

1

[kate middleton photo scandal]

2

[jackson family fight]

3

[lance armstrong doping]

4

[general david petraeus affair]

5

[new orleans saints' bountygate]

6

[bobby petrino affair]

7

[secret service scandal]

8

[savile sex scandal]

9

[air force sex scandal]

10

[j.p. morgan/london whale loss]

For more about the Yahoo! 2012 Year in Review and other top searches, go
to yearinreview.yahoo.com
or search for "2012 Year in Review" on Yahoo.com.

Additional Yahoo! Top Search lists available to media:Top-Searched
News Topics on Yahoo! in 2012Top-Searched International Affairs on
Yahoo! in 2012Top Weather-Related Searches on Yahoo! in 2012Female
Fights: Top-Searched Issues That Impacted Women on Yahoo! in 2012Top-Searched
Politicians on Yahoo! in 2012Top-Searched Financial Terms on
Yahoo! in 2012Top Job Searches on Yahoo! in 2012Top-Searched
Coupons/Deals on Yahoo! in 2012Top-Searched Health Symptoms on
Yahoo! in 2012Top-Searched Diets on Yahoo! in 2012Top-Searched
Celebrity Couples Who Broke Up in 2012:Top-Searched Movies and
Television Shows on Yahoo! in 2012

If you would like to see additional lists please reach out to Carolyn
Clark

About the Yahoo! Year in Review Methodology

To develop the Yahoo! Year in Review, our editors analyze Yahoo! Search
queries based on a number of factors, including absolute volume and
growth from previous periods, to see which themes and trends bubble to
the surface. Individuals and their Search queries always remain
anonymous.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! is focused on making the world's daily habits more inspiring and
entertaining. By creating highly personalized experiences for our users,
we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices
and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by
connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. Yahoo!
is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has offices located
throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific (APAC) and the Europe, Middle East
and Africa (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net)
or the company's blog (yodel.yahoo.com).

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